A grim milestone in overdose deaths

In the midst of a pandemic that has claimed three-quarters of a million lives in this country alone, there is human suffering that can get lost. Deaths from drug overdoses don’t often make the kind of headlines that COVID regularly sees, but the loss for victims’ loved ones is the same. And recently, those deaths hit an unprecedented milestone.

More than 100,000 deaths in this country have been attributed to drug overdoses in the past year, a number we’ve never seen before. It’s affected every state and nearly every community. Families have suffered alone or in groups, but there has been no national outpouring of support for people affected by these losses as there has been for COVID. It’s a country of people in many cases struggling by themselves.

There are many causes for the increasing numbers, but experts say the pandemic itself is playing a big role. Because many people who use drugs were socially isolated, they were less able or less willing to get themselves into treatment. It’s a pattern we’ve seen repeated elsewhere, including in the rising challenge mental health providers have faced. Whatever the raw numbers show in terms of COVID victims, the real figures of people who have had their lives changed is much higher.

There are other challenges. According to news reports, “the new data shows many of the deaths involve illicit fentanyl, a highly lethal opioid that five years ago surpassed heroin as the type of drug involved in the most overdose deaths. Dealers have mixed fentanyl with other drugs — one reason that deaths from methamphetamines and cocaine also are rising.”

Often the presence of fentanyl is unknown to users. Whatever the goals of dealers who mix it into their regular supply, they can end up killing people who are not expecting it. And because drug transactions typically take place in an underground market, there is no authority to ensure cleaner supplies.

Connecticut saw an increase of 4.4 percent in the number of deaths from overdose for the year ending in April 2021. That was on the low end for state figures nationwide, but still represents more than 1,400 lives lost in the 12-month period. Other states were in far worse shape — California saw a 48 percent rise in overdose deaths; West Virginia a 62 percent increase.

Though the numbers are unprecedentedly high, there is growing understanding of the problem and what can be done. More experts are taking an approach focused on harm reduction, which tries to help people who are addicted without resorting first to punishment. Unfortunately, such approaches are not yet commonplace, and too many people who suffer from addiction find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system when what they really need is medical care.

The first challenge is awareness, and much as these numbers are shocking, it could help people who have previously looked the other way to realize the enormity of the problem. The results released this week are not an official count, and the numbers for 2021 when they are finally released could show the problem is even worse than currently believed.

Either way, the time for action is now. Recognizing the problem is the first step, and helping those in need must follow.